Racing Tips for FridayQuebecois (Exeter, 13.50) – 1pt win @ 5/4 (bet365)Thistle Ask (Exeter, 14.25) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (Ladbrokes)Him Malaya (Exeter, 15.00) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (William Hill)Gyenyame (Exeter, 15.35) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (Ladbrokes)Wee Alki (Hexham, 14.10) – 0.5pts each-way @ 13/2 (bet365) It’s Haldon Gold Cup day at Exeter, which is where four of my five Friday racing tips come from, along with a runner at Hexham that caught the eye after a look at the markets on betting sites.ICL Conscious Of Our Impact ‘Future Stars’ Silver Bowl Novices’ Chase (13.50 Exeter)Paul Nicholls has farmed this race, winning five of the last seven renewals and that looks set to continue with QUEBECOIS, who will be very well prepped for this, his chase debut.The six-year-old hinted that stamina was going to be his forte when winning a 2m1f bumper around this stiff track, on soft ground, a couple of years ago. Since then, he’s added wins on another testing track, Chepstow, as well as proving himself over three miles plus when winning his most recent start at Ayr in the spring, in a first-time tongue-tie.He impressed that day with a personal best effort, pulling clear quickly after a good jump at the last. Since then, he’s had wind surgery and I think he’s only going to improve for jumping a fence, while he should have no trouble seeing out this trip over fences.Friday racing tip 1: Quebecois (Exeter, 13.50) – 1pt win @ 5/4 (bet365)BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (14.25 Exeter)Nicholls (four wins) and the Tizzards (three wins between Colin and Joe) have dominated this Grade 2 contest in the past decade and both have one runner each from the six that are declared, Joe Tizzard again sending last year’s winner JPR One to represent him.Of course, it’s possible that either of those could win this. The Nicholls runner, for example, comes into this as a Grade 1 winner, having landed the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree when last seen in April.He has bags of speed and he surely would not be running if the master of Ditcheat didn’t think his BHA mark of 156 was not exploitable. JPR One beat last week’s Charlie Hall Chase winner Djelo when winning this last year. He’s just 4lb higher this time and goes well fresh, so a repeat is not ruled out.This column put up Martator at Ascot last weekend and trainer Venetia Williams then took him out of that race and, instead, he takes his chance here. He is very much respected, as is Saint Segal, who tries to add to back-to-back Chepstow wins.It really is fascinating but I’d like to suggest THISTLE ASK as an each-way proposition, priced at 9/1 on horse racing betting sites at the time of writing. The eight-year-old was bought out of James Ewart’s yard for just £11,000 in May. He’s making rapid progress with the Skeltons. He He drops back in trip again for this but it’s interesting that his trainer is aiming him at it, as the word after that Wetherby win was that he’d go for the Grand Sefton at Aintree, which is over further.This will, no doubt, be a challenge against proven speed horses but he’s in cracking form and could still be improving at a rate greater than the handicapper is able to assess. He doesn’t have to win for us to make a profit but he just might.Friday racing tip 2: Thistle Ask (Exeter, 14.25) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (Ladbrokes)Oddschecker Handicap Hurdle (15.00, Exeter)No favourite has won the five previous runnings of this extended two mile contest and given the field size, that’s perhaps no great surprise. It looks tricky, with a maximum 18 to run the rule over and having done that, I think we can make a decent case for HIM MALAYA to run well at a backable price.He’s 9-1 on some betting apps and fifth in the market at the time of writing. He’s trained by Nicholls, who we know has a great record at the track and his profile suggests that he’ll come on for his recent Kempton run (2m5f, good), when a 13-length third.He drops back to almost the minimum trip for this and it’s a trip to which, on this stiff track, he could be better suited. He often races prominently, which could also help bring his proven stamina over further into play and he’s only 1lb higher than when scoring over 2m3f at the flat Taunton circuit last December.He also gets on well with his pilot, Olive Nicholls, who claims 7lb. I think we have an each-way angle in here with four places to play for and he could win it if things drop right, in first-time cheekpieces.Friday racing tip 3: Him Malaya (Exeter, 15.00) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (William Hill)Oddschecker ‘Challenger’ Stayers’ Handicap Chase (15.35, Exeter)Three favourites have won this in the last decade and it’s tended to pay to stick with horses who are single-figure prices. G Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old won easily around here (2m3f, good) in a beginners’ chase last season, on his second start of the campaign. He went on to better that level of form in back-to-back second-placed efforts at Taunton over 2m5½f and 2m7f, respectively, in February and March.Given the rest of spring and summer off, he returned looking in need of the outing at Newton Abbot last month but I think he is equipped to do better back to up three miles over fences and he could look well treated come the end of this race.Friday racing tip 4: Gyenyame (Exeter, 15.35) – 0.5pts each-way @ 9/1 (Ladbrokes)Unibet Offer Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle (14.10, Hexham)Even on the forecast good to soft ground at Hexham, this hurdle over just shy of three miles will present a pretty stiff test.That should suit WEE ALKY, who has yet to get his nose in front but a case can be made for him to go very close this time. His He’d also run to a similar level around the stiff Carlisle track (2m3f, good to soft) in February, so we know he handles these conditions. He’d had a break and wind surgery prior to his recent five and a half length fourth here over C&D, behind the reopposing Robert d’Ores last month.He’s dropped 1lb as a result of that but I like the way he stayed on behind the winner, who is now 5lb worse off with my suggestion and will need to improve to defy that mark.I’d be surprised if Susan Corbett’s gelding does not come on for that first start in almost four months and he can run a big race here.Friday racing tip 5: Wee Alki (Hexham, 14.10) – 0.5pts each-way @ 13/2 (bet365)Responsible gamblingIt’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using online bookmakers, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. The
2025-11-07 08:23:38
Friday Racing Tips: Best Bets For Exeter And Hexham
